Sick; congrats on the PR! (Averaging 1:40.4 on the 750s and 1k is nuts, by the way.)

thanks and it's good to finally be at or a little stronger than I was last October which is when I was peaking last. It's taken a long time and while I haven't done the time trials yet to prove that I'm getting quicker, I've had quite a few thoughts that there wasn't much improvement left in me.

re the middle splits....one of my goals is to be able to hit a 3.19 for the middle 1k because it was my 1k pr from crossfit times when I started rowing. All relative though - the guy I'm talking with for advice to plan my programming for the next 6 months is a former collegiate rower called Mitchell King who, while now a doctor, is still a super competitive rower. He did a Pyramid recently and managed a 3.06 in the middle 1k!

1k row warm up

5x2 power clean 92.5kg

5x5 emom Bench 70kg

4x7 Hammer High Pull 140kg

3x4 Press 55kg

3x7 Preacher curl 42.5kg

Another session that continued my frustrating time with weights. Am honestly reaching the point where I don't think there's much point doing it if I'm only doing it once a week and constantly working around what I can/can't do. I will continue because from an ego POV I don't want to get/look totally sloppy and also I do think that the lower body and pulling in particular must be helping my rowing, but IDK...the priority for the the next 6 months is to improve the rowing times and stay injury free, but beyond that I need to work through what my plan is with the barbells moving forward

my back tightened at the end of the power cleans so I decided not to deadlift or bent over row.
first time benching in 6 weeks and I kept it light and quick. Am still getting shooting pains through my right AC joint, but it was managable at that weight

Seems like a good goal for you - sub 1:40 pace on that leg seems nuts to me but doable for you. 3:06 on the middle 1k is just stupid, and so far ahead of what I could dream of doing I'm not even mad.

Not sure what the purpose of benching EMOM is, but the AC joint stuff would make me reconsider it. Maybe some daily shoulder prehab work with bands or light weight is indicated? Does it hurt when you do pushups?

Re: weight training in general, if ramping up for nationals or whatever is your goal, it probably makes sense to drop the non-rowing specific stuff and just work through a skeleton workout - front squats, DLs or RDLs, maybe OHP, vertical and horizontal pulling. Even without the AC stuff, I doubt horizontal pressing is going to be value added. What does your programming buddy say?

I haven't spoken to him about weights tbh but my guess is he doesn't do much. He's 6/3 -225. But I'll ask him

tbh, what you're suggesting is close to what I've done with a clean, a DL, a row and then apress/push press and then some arm stuff at the end just for body image purposes. I took the FS out because I found I wasn't recovering properly for my rowing, but it's been on my mind to put it back in after I come back from vacation. And yes re the bench, it's an ego thing as much as anything else....feels weird not benching after 30 years, albeit I've never been good at it

"Getting shooting AC joint pains while benching" and still "EMOM benching" is just a manifestation of terminal CrossFitter brain; maybe throw in some band external rotations or facepulls as prehab and then actually rest in between sets?

I understand the point but it was more because i wanted to keep the weight and reps light as it was first time back was so I wanted to get a bit of a pump on. Shooting pain was the best it’s been in months, albeit I could still feel it.

You’re right - I do face pulls as part of my warm up and love them and also do another mobility thing that I got from Kelly Starrett. They’ve always worked in the past to get rid of what I thought was basic shoulder impingement but randomly it hasn’t been effective this time, hence the rest. I hate going to physios and the like tbh but at some point down the track I might commit to one, or at least try a daily self rehab routine for a few weeks

The AC joint is functionally unimportant. Or at least that is what my orthopedic surgeon said when I tore mine almost 30 years ago.

Hmmm, frustrated today despite a very good row by my standards.

I'd planned a 5k time trial as I've had a very good week of sleep and my body has been feeling great. Warm up was good but I spent at least 10 mins after the warm up messing around with erg fear...doing mobility work, multiple visits to the bathroom, getting some chewy candy etc etc. I just couldn't focus. By the time I finally started the row I just couldn't get my mind to relax and by about 400m in, my brain was talking myself out of it and my mental state was a total mess. I just decided to pull the pin asap, because if my brain was that fragile with no fatigue then I was pretty certain it wouldn't hold up between 3 and 4.5k

So I switched and did a 5x1500m 5r. I was relaxed and in rhythm from the beginning and it's the fastest I've ever rowed this, despite it being totally under control the entire time and probably not 95% effort.

So...it's good news in the sense that I'm definitely in PR shape and making progress, but frustrating because I feel like I wasted an opportunity to log a really good time.

Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M
26:59.3 7,500m 1:47.9 278 1257 27

5:24.9 1,500m 1:48.3 276 1248 27
5:24.9 1,500m 1:48.3 276 1248 27
5:23.1 1,500m 1:47.7 280 1264 28
5:23.5 1,500m 1:47.8 279 1260 28
5:23.0 1,500m 1:47.6 280 1265 29

Sat


crazy busy Saturday so only had a small amount of time to squeeze in something light.

Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M
34:31.5 8,001m 2:09.4 161 855 17


Sun


45 min steady state to finish the week off.

Second consecutive week on my new structure of 2 hard and 3 easy rows and I'm enjoying it. The plan is to increase the length of my ss gradually to 60 mins moving forward where I have time.

Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M
45:00.4 10,737m 2:05.7 176 905 18

5:00.0 1,164m 2:08.8 164 862 18
5:00.0 1,190m 2:06.0 175 901 19
5:00.0 1,205m 2:04.4 181 924 20
5:00.0 1,206m 2:04.3 182 926 20
5:00.0 1,197m 2:05.3 178 912 19
5:00.0 1,189m 2:06.1 174 899 19
5:00.0 1,191m 2:05.9 175 902 18
5:00.0 1,201m 2:04.8 180 918 19
5:00.4 1,196m 2:05.5 177 908 18

I've had the past 3 days off sick with a headcold so it was important to do something...no matter how light

Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M
30:00.6 7,006m 2:08.5 165 867 16

found time to drop into the gym on my return from the city

back still a little weird from last week's tweak so amended my lower body stuff

4 sets of light single leg extensions
3 sets light leg press - 8@140kg
3 sets light RDLs 8 @ 70kg
4x6 Press 50kg
3x8 hammer high pull row 120kg
3x7 seated cable row 60kg
3x8 Preacher curl 40kg
3x8/8 Triceps push down/extension 35/28kg

clicking buttons unimpressively

Fri

kept it light again. Feeling a little tired post my headcold.

Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M
35:01.1 8,382m 2:05.3 178 911 19

Sat

45 min steady state today.

my back has been a little tweaky. it's fine when I'm rowing but tight and a little painful when I stand up. feeling recovered from my cold now so will hopefully do something tougher tomorrow

Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M
45:03.2 10,802m 2:05.1 179 914 19

my son lost his rugby league semi final in heart breaking fashion against the top team in the area. If they'd won the Grand Final was in a 50,000 seater stadium. The opposition were huge Pacific Islander kids and physically dominant but our boys kept chopping them down. Had a chance for the win with 1 min to go but our kid got tackled less than 1 metre from the line. All the kids crying, all the mothers crying, then the coach cried. Managed to hold it together but was glad I had my glassed on

Rough one for the mini; sorry it didn't work out for him. Always tough from a dadding perspective to keep the appropriate stiffness in the upper lip.

Nice work getting the steady state in.

yeah thanks...it's not much fun seeing them suffering. It hasn't been the best season for him tbh. He plays soccer and rugby league and he's in the top team in both sports with all the best players and he's probably one of the weaker kids in both teams. Which means that he's lost a little mojo. I think it would probably be better for his psyche to be a better player in the second tier teams.

idk, we'll see.

60 min steady state today and felt really good. the 3 days off at the beginning of the week and then just doing steady state have actually been a nice deload.

Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M
1:00:01.4 14,343m 2:05.5 177 908 18

new 5k PB - 6.3 seconds faster than my previous best.

I used some advice from a sub 7 bro to conquer my erg fear and planned it mentally and in writing like a training session. I had a target rate and pace for every 1k up to 3k and then a target rate only for the 4th and 5th ks, so that there was less mental pressure and expectation weighing me down and it really helped

Of course the big goal is sub 18 and I would have loved to go underneath it but I just didn't have enough in my lungs either to start the acceleration with 1k to go, or to accelerate harder with 600m to go. With about 300m left, I briefly saw 18.01 on the screen as the predicted time, but I just didn't have anything left to go for it. So I think ultimately the time is a true representation of my current PR. sub 18 will come with consistent training and I'm happy with the progress I'm making

currently 16/930 on the 2022 C2 rankings board or 98th percentile. More importantly, I think it shows my conditioning is improving and I hope it points to some 2k improvement - hoping to log a decent time in the next few weeks before I have a 3 week holiday

Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M
18:02.2 5,000m 1:48.2 276 1250 27

3:37.4 1,000m 1:48.7 273 1237 25
3:38.8 1,000m 1:49.4 267 1219 26
3:37.4 1,000m 1:48.7 273 1237 27
3:36.7 1,000m 1:48.3 275 1246 28
3:31.9 1,000m 1:45.9 294 1312 30
3:37.4 1,000m 1:48.7 273 1237 25
3:38.8 1,000m 1:49.4 267 1219 26
3:37.4 1,000m 1:48.7 273 1237 27
3:36.7 1,000m 1:48.3 275 1246 28
3:31.9 1,000m 1:45.9 294 1312 30

Nice!

Amazing work!

Thanks chaps. A little empty to get so close to sub 18 and not make it, but very happy to log a step forward.

Progress is a lot harder won than it was last year.l and I hope there’s more to come. It’s also making me want to look into places to row when I’m in Europe in a few weeks time, just so I can maintain as much of this fitness as I can.

snuck in a lunchtime steady state.

Coldest day of the year here in Sydney (12C...brrr) and I've realised this winter what a pleasure rowing without heat and humidity. I think I'm going to buy a portable air conditioning unit so that I can chill my home gym before I row during the hot weather to come

Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M
50:43.7 12,002m 2:06.7 172 890 19

Ah yes, one month til Fall. Then the Americans will make their move and this Aussie will go back to hibernation and finally leave PR City to us.

good luck with your goals and I hope you can break 18.

as per my post above, I'm gonna have to buy an aircon unit if I do the 20 week 2k schedule I'm planning to get me to the world indoor. No way I can be doing 50k+ a week in 30 C and 90%+ humidity

You really need to get AC in your rowing room. Maybe also one or two ice vests to wear.